This deep wreck mystery comes from World War II. It was a ship that my cousin Raymond was on when it sank. He survived the ship sinking by jumping onto a British destroyer that came alongside the ship. So I am happy to do this deep water wreck episode. The run time for this documentary is 50:43.
An allied troop ship lies in ruins. It is here that nearly 800 American soldiers lost their lives. It is evidence of a forgotten tragedy. Secrecy and mystery surround this shipwreck. It sunk on Christmas Eve bringing over troops to France. Why did so many men die in this wreck? What were the mistakes that were made that delayed the rescue of these men? A new dive on the wreck reveals new details about the sinking. What went so horribly wrong on this wreck? It is Christmas Eve and 1944, the Leopoldville is making its way to France to drop off American troops in France. However, the ship is torpedoed and sinks. Delays in communications mean more men will die. It is the worse tragedy to befall an American infantry division. How could this tragedy take place in such a busy port? Could more men have been saved? A new dive team is exploring the wreck to look for answers as to why so many soldiers died. However, it is a tricky wreck to dive correctly. There are many currents that can sweep a diver off the wreck. Additionally, the visibility is horrendous. As a result of time and the currents, Leopoldville is coming apart and collapsing. It is a race against time to document Leopoldville. Even with the 3d modeling of the ship, it is still a risky dive. The first dive will allow them to orientate themselves on the ship. It takes time and skill to not only work out where they are but to navigate the wreck. It is a shipwreck that is lying on its side, and “all the floors are now the walls.” The Leopoldville was a luxury passenger ship it was a cruise ship between Antwerp and Africa. However, her career was interrupted by World War II and she was converted to a troop ship. She was delivering troops that would take part in the Battle of the Bulge. She is to take the troops from England to Cherbourg France. Many of the passengers were young and found themselves rushed onto the ship on Christmas Eve. They would not be returned to England for the foreseeable future. It is here that the documentary interviews survivors of the wreck. They talk about the rush to pack up and go to France. They had thirty minutes to pack up. In the rush of getting everyone to France, nobody was really keeping track of the soldiers that were supposed to be on the Leopoldville. Despite this, the Leopoldville begins settling sail. There is another troopship coming with and there are combat ships escorting the Leopoldville. Throughout the war, she was able to take troops from England to France without a problem. However that changed, the submarines had snorkels which would allow them to stay underwater for long periods of time. U-486 is on the prow and she is able to hunt ships down at periscope depts. The Leopoldville enters her sights on Christmas Eve and the u-boat fires. A torpedo strikes the ship on the starboard side. Many soldiers were knocked out of their hammocks. Water poured into the ship. It was chaos for the soldiers. It was here that the survivors of the Leopoldville talk about their experiences. Rescue would be over two hours away. So what happened? Why was Leopoldville so vulnerable? Why was the rescue of the soldiers delayed? How many more lives could have been saved? What will the divers learn about Leopoldville? The survivors’ experiences were harrowing and I liked hearing about their experiences. It was interesting to listen to the story of how the destroyer rescued the soldiers and the recreation showed me how my cousin managed to survive. It was also sad to realize that the soldiers were never given instructions on how to safely evacuate from the ship. Overall this was a fascinating look at one of the more forgotten stories of World War II and would be something to consider showing to a history class or for independent study students.
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The purpose of this blog is to share information on what can be used in a classroom, private school, or home school setting as well as serve as a portfolio of my personal and professional work. The reviews are my opinions and should be treated as such. I just want to provide a tool for teachers to select documentaries for their classrooms. |